Nursery medicine rules

[RayRae19]

Just wondering what other people's experiences are of nurseries' rules about medication and creams?

I understand they have to have set rules and standards for everyone but I feel like I'm constantly being told no by ours! We only started a month ago so still figuring it out. 3 things which have come up so far:

1. Today LO has nappy rash. I packed Metanium and was told they can only use Sudacrem. Nobody told me this before. Shouldn't it be my choice, they are both nappy creams but Metanium works way better?

2. If LO is teething they won't give Calpol at my request. They have a form you can sign to consent medication BUT they will only give prescribed medicine. Unless LO has a temp during the day and then they will call for verbal consent.
   This seems baffling.
   Then if the baby has a temp for too long they send them home. Obviously that makes sense, but if it's only teething wouldn't it make more sense to give her some Calpol when I asked to avoid her temp rising?!

3. LO has hayfever. Doctor prescribed Piriton which I give her in the morning if it's high pollen but I don't feel happy giving her medicine twice a day all summer. I found a non-medicinal balm called Hay Max which you rub under their nose to catch the pollen. Nursery won't use it because it's not prescribed, even though it's not medicine.
   It's all natural ingredients and no nut products.

Am I just being a foolish FTM? Did anyone else get some kind of info pack from their nursery to help them avoid continually clashing with them/looking daft?

LO has hayfever. Doctor prescribed Piriton which I give her in the morning if it's high pollen but I don't feel happy giving her medicine twice a day all summer WHY?!!! Why do people DO this?! The gp prescribed it for a reason so let her have it!

As for medicines in general, childcare settings have strict guidelines to follow re what they can give and not and for what purpose. Same with what they can allow children to come in/stay home with if ill.

I think they may all have slightly different rules. For comparison ours:

1. Will provide sudocrem as required. They are also happy to use any other nappy cream if you provide it.

1. For calpol, similar to yours, they will give it to try to reduce a temp only, after calling parent to check. If temp doesn't reduce sufficiently they will send LO home. Other than that they will only give prescribed medicine. I don't believe they would give it for teething alone or anything else, because it's not prescribed.

1. For other illnesses, the medication needs to be prescribed. Could you ask your GP to actually prescribe pirition (or a similar drug) so that nursery would be happy to give it?

Sorry OP, just re-read and realised that the GP did prescibe this. I think our nursery would say the same about the non-prescribed alternative you have, unfortunately.

Could you ask your GP to actually prescribe pirition (or a similar drug) so that nursery would be happy to give it? the gp has prescribed it, the OP wants to give a herbal remedy instead which of course the nursery won't give, and rightly so.

I don't understand the logic of the nappy cream or the hay max.

Calpol should not be given routinely. . there was a programme about this recently. This article has two statements.. one regarding the risks and finishes with one from a 'celebrity' doctor who endorses Calpol. www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/warning-dangers-hildren-too-much-calpol-paediatrician-parents-a6753446.html

Ensuring a safe environment for 30 children is more complex than for one.

They will have written policies and procedures and everything will be risk assessed. Eg if one child in the nursery has a reaction to one nappy cream then they will not want it on the premises.

Just because something is natural doesn't mean it is not dangerous. Lots of people have allergies to things like nuts and shell fish.

I agree with the other poster, if you Dr has prescribed something why wouldn't you give it?

If they didn't give you a copy of their policies you should look them up, they are often on websites these days.

Thanks all, like I said I really just wanted to check if this is the norm.
With regard to not wanting to give the piriton all the time, I know the medical aspect is fine otherwise a doctor wouldn't give it, but it's also very sugary and seems to make LO a bit hyper. She already struggles to nap at nursery so don't really want to make it worse.
Also she goes ballistic when you try to give it to her, which is obviously something we need to work through generally but if there's an alternative product which works but avoids the above (the Hay Max) then I don't feel like I'm wrong to give it a go.

Anyway, I do completely accept their decision, not much else I can do and I see why they have to be careful, just wish they'd explain it all at the start for newbies!

1. might be frustrating but I'd buy a tub and pop it in her nursery bag
2. Will they give anything else if she's in pain with her teeth? Teeth gel or powders etc? Their calpol rule is fine.
3. If you're insistent on not letting your child have her prescribed medicines I'd put the haymax on at home and get nursery to give the prescribed medicine a couple of hours later.

Actually, I'd give her the prescribed medicine!

@sashh
This is just it, the policies I've been given really don't specify!
Also I did say I checked the Hay Max is nut and allergen free.

I did see the program about Calpol, certainly made me think twice when I give it but if I can see my LO is in discomfort then I feel like that's what it's for. I'm not keen on medicating her regularly, hence the Piriton issue!

Haymax is not a herbal remedy it is a barrier cream containing beeswax and sunflower oil. It is not that dissimilar to a nappy cream. It contains no active ingredients therefore no reason for nursery to decline to give this in my opinion though this is seperate for the requirement for any prescribed medication.

I have always been allowed to send in whatever happy cream I wanted. Everything else sounds normal. My son has eds and sometimes needs pain meds at school. The gp was happy to prescribe paracetamol and ibuprofen to be kept at school and also hayfever meds for my other son.